Ship of Dreams
by ofarrogant
Summary: AU Regina Mills is soon to be married to the widowed tycoon, Leopold White, when she crosses paths with a drifter by the name of Emma Swan on the RMS Titanic.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One**_

Luck had never been on Emma Swan's side.

As an hours-old-infant, she had been abandoned by her parents on a country road in the middle of nowhere. As a child, she had grown up in an orphanage and was constantly passed over for another when prospective parents came looking to adopt. At age sixteen, she found herself on the street when the orphanage was shut down and she was left to fend for herself.

Odd-job after odd-job had taken her from one end of America to the next and then onto Europe. She had only ever made enough money to scrape by with her rent, and even then she had lost count of how many times she had skipped out without paying because otherwise she wouldn't be able to eat. Not that even if she could have afforded to keep paying rent she would have stayed in one place for more than a couple of weeks, having been cursed with a perpetual case of wanderlust.

That was how she had found herself here in Southhampton. The port was buzzing with activity as the White Star Line prepared to launch its newest vessel out into the waters of the Atlantic for the first time. Like everyone else in England, Emma had heard the gossip about the ship. The _RMS Titanic _had been dubbed "unsinkable" by the press, as if the sheer size and grandeur of it wasn't enough to garner the ship more than its fair share of attention.

Emma hadn't bought into all the talk, but she had to admit that when the _Titanic_ was actually looming up in front of her, she was left a little slackjawed. The ship was a work of sleek craftsmanship and she found herself believing that maybe, just maybe, the thing was unsinkable after all. She hadn't been planning on going back to America, but when she walked into a bar and found some guys engaging in a game of poker with a 3rd Class ticket at stake, she asked them to deal her in.

It was just a lark, really, she didn't expect to win. Judging from the looks the men exchanged before sliding over her cards, they didn't expect her to either. She wasn't new to the game, she had learned now to play at age fourteen when she nudged one of the older boys into teaching her after catching him playing with a friend. Still, she had never won big on any occasion, just enough money for a night in a roach-free hotel at most.

So when she realized she had the winning hand right in front of her, green eyes widened in genuine shock. Luck had never been this good to her, but when she blinked and looked again, her hand remained the same. Maybe she had picked up a bit of good karma somewhere without realizing it. Or maybe it was fate, which was a notion she would usually dismiss as pure nonsense, but something within her wasn't as quick to do so this time.

"Read 'em and weep, boys," she said, spreading the cards out in front of her with a grin, adrenaline pumping through her and her heartbeat quickening. There was cursing and one guy kicked the table out from under them, but Emma didn't care. The _Titanic _was waiting for her-and along with it something wonderful.

* * *

Going back home to Philadelphia was the last thing that Regina Mills wanted to do.

She knew that the minute they were back on American soil, her marriage to Leopold White was going to be put into fast gear. If her mother could have convinced the tycoon to just get married overseas, Regina would already be a wedded woman. She was only lucky that Leopold had been resolute in his desire to have the wedding take place on his estate so that his daughter could attend.

Young Mary had been supposed to accompany them on the trip to Europe, but just days prior to their departure she had come down with the measles. It had only been after thorough examinations, and a brief interlude when Leopold very seriously considered canceling the trip altogether, that they themselves had been cleared to go. It was bad enough that the child had missed out on Europe, Leopold had argued, but she would have been absolutely heartbroken if she had been unable to attend the wedding.

Her mother's mouth had thinned in a tell-tale sign of frustration, but Cora Mills was not a woman to be undone by impatience. Regina had a feeling that she only knew the bare bones of all the scheming her mother had done in order to arrange this marriage, but it was clear to her that no delay would be enough to deter Cora into putting an end to the engagement.

The trip had lasted a month and had comprised of visits to Rome, Barcelona, and London, in that order. While Regina had enjoyed the sights, the entire time she had been filled with a sense of dread about what was to come. It wasn't just that her intended was old enough to be her father, although that alone was disconcerting. It was that when Leopold looked at her, he had the appearance of a horse breeder appraising a filly to see if she's fit for breeding. When she had expressed this thought to her mother, Cora had only scoffed at it and sent her on her way.

Now as Regina stood at the ports of Southhampton, staring up at the palatial _Titanic_, she saw only another prison. It was said to be unsinkable, she recalled; how ironic when she felt like she was drowning. All she wanted to do was pick up her skirts and run far from here, far from Leopold, far from her mother, but she couldn't will her feet to move.

"Have you ever seen such a magnificent vessel?" Cora remarked, lifting a gloved hand to shade her eyes as she peered up at the ship.

"There is not another like it," Leopold said, crossing to join them after paying the driver who had taken them to the docks from the hotel. "She's the grandest ship to ever be built and we are her first passengers."

Regina didn't have to look over to see the practically sycophantic smile her mother wore, she could hear it in her voice as she replied, "I couldn't imagine a more perfect way to end our trip." There was a sharp jab to her ribcage accompanied by a prodding, "Don't you agree, Regina?"

"Yes, Mother," she replied by rote, pasting a smile of her own on her lips as she turned to face her mother and fiancé. "It's absolutely perfect." Words had never tasted so sour on her tongue.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed or followed or favorited. Next chapter will have our lovebirds meeting for the first time. _

_**Chapter Two**_

"What's waiting for you in America?" A bright voice sounded from behind Emma as she swung her duffel, which held everything she owned, onto her bunk.

She turned to see a girl around her age sitting down on the lower-bunk of the set across from hers. She was very pretty with a narrow face, long-lashed dark eyes, and a charming smile. Judging from her accent, Emma judged her to be a native of England. Probably London (when you traveled as much as she had, you learned to pinpoint people's places of origin).

"Nothing in particular," Emma answered, brushing a stray blonde curl out of her face and giving a mild shrug as she folded her arms across her chest.

"You're from there," the girl noted with a tilt of her head, dark hair tumbling over her shoulders.

"I don't really consider myself as 'from' _anywhere_, but I guess you could say that."

That earned her a widening smile. "I'm Ruby Lucas," she introduced herself, getting to her feet and sticking out a hand.

"Emma Swan," Emma responded, shaking Ruby's hand briefly before dropping it and sticking both of her own idly in her pockets. "So what's waiting for _you_ in America?"

"A new life," Ruby answered simply. "Granny and me," here she nodded to a white-haired old lady who was rifling through a trunk at the foot of their bunk, "we're going to open a restaurant."

"Sounds like a good dream," she responded diplomatically, not having the heart to say that they weren't the first to cross the pond with that plan and they certainly wouldn't be the first to fail if things went awry. There's a pack of cigarettes in her duffel that she's dying to root out, but she doesn't want to be rude by cutting off the conversation.

"Well," Ruby amended then, glancing between Emma and her grandmother before taking a step closer, "that's really _Granny's_ dream. I want to see things, do things, have fun." She sidled even closer to Emma and dropped her voice a little, adding, "Speaking of fun, what are American boys like?" There was a spark in her eyes as she asked, making it clear that this was where her priorities lied.

Her grandmother was clearly thinking the same thing as the Widow Lucas straightened up to fix Ruby with a look. "The ship hasn't even left the dock and you're already worrying about boys," she scolded. "Your priorities worry me, child."

Ruby rolled her eyes at this, turning her head so that her grandmother couldn't see that she had done so. "She has _really_ good hearing," she muttered to Emma, the intonation of her voice making it sound like that fact was the very bane of her existence. Emma couldn't help but snort.

Just then, a horn blared, startling both Emma and Ruby. "Sounds like the ship is getting ready to take off," Granny observed, glancing towards the door of the cabin.

"Come on, then!" Ruby said, reaching over to impulsively grab Emma by the hand. "Everyone will be moving to crowd the deck and we want to get a good spot!"

"Woah, hold on," Emma laughed, managing to reach into her duffel to snatch up her cigarettes before being dragged out by her new friend.

"I do hope your cabin is to your liking, ladies," Leopold said as he crossed the threshold of the 1st class cabin that Regina was sharing with Cora. He himself was lodging just across the hall.

* * *

"It's lovely, Leopold," Cora answered with a smile, glancing over from where she was directing their maid to put her things. Regina didn't bother saying anything, knowing that she wasn't expected to-as was often the case, her mother was speaking for both of them.

Leopold only nodded, saying, "Good, good," before turning his attention to a painting that Regina was carefully unpacking. "And what is that, my dear?"

"Something I picked up while we were in London," she answered, wiping off a few specks of dust with her fingertips. Art had always been a fascination of hers even if she had no gift for it herself. Being able to add a few new pieces to her personal collection had been the highlight of the trip for her.

Cora glanced over, distaste etched all over her face, a look that her daughter was all too used to seeing. "A waste of money, if you ask me," she said. "I don't understand your interest in all this impressionist drivel."

"It's not 'drivel,' Mother," Regina returned, propping the artwork in question carefully on an easel. "It's a Monet." The only response that earned her was a roll of Cora's eyes.

"The Captain wants us to join him at his table for dinner tonight," Leopold interjected, changing the subject. "Along with other distinguished passengers, of course."

The smile Cora gave in response to this was so pleased that she gave off the air of a stroked cat. "I expect you've already accepted this most gracious invitation instead of pointlessly waiting to see what our predictable reaction would be."

Yes, Cora's reaction was completely predictable. These sort of invitations and the feeling of importance they aroused were what she thrived on. Regina, on the other hand, was never more miserable than when she was being paraded in front of others that she was expected to impress. No matter how brightly she smiled or how charming she was, there was always some fault that her mother found in her behavior. It was exhausting, crippling, and all she wanted was to find some place to hide until the time for dinner had passed. But that was not a realistic option.

"But of course," was Leopold's answer. "I wouldn't imagine that either of you would care to turn down such an honor." Turning to Regina, he added, "And this will be just the first of many social engagements we will be attending together, Regina. The more practice we have at entering arm-in-arm the better."

Regina felt sick to her stomach at his words. They were yet another reminder that soon she would soon be chained to this man for however long either of them lived. Cora was watching, however, so she only plastered on her most believable smile and said, "There is no one else whose arm I would rather be on, Leopold. And when Mary is old enough, we'll be attending things as a family."

Leopold gave her one of his benign smiles in response, taking her hand and lifting it to his lips. "A family for all others to envy," he replied. "No man has ever had a lovelier daughter or a more amiable wife."

She forced the smile to remain on her face as his weathered lips came into contact with her skin and he spouted platitudes that meant nothing to either of them. Cora's fingers brushed against those of her free hand in a small sign of affectionate approval and knew she had said the right thing. If only doing so hadn't become so tiresome.


End file.
